A Coroner has ruled that the cause of a three-month-old baby’s death cannot be established.

Ava Lofthouse died in August 2012 after she had been sleeping in bed with her mother.

An inquest at Bradford Coroner’s Court today heard that Ava, her mum, Rebecca, and father, Gary, had been at a family barbecue the night before the death.

Mrs Lofthouse had returned home at about 1am on August 12 and put the baby to bed in a Moses basket at the bottom of her bed.

She was woken at about 4am by the baby and took her into bed with her.

A report read out in court from paediatric pathologist Dr Chitra Sethuraman at Sheffield Children’s Hospital said: “Both appeared to fall asleep.”

The report said when Mrs Lofthouse woke again it was daylight and Ava’s head was floppy and her head appeared squashed.

“Mum realised all was not well and rang dad who returned home and called an ambulance,” said the consultant’s report.

The baby was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary where doctors tried to resuscitate her.

Coroner Peter Straker told Ava’s parents that he could only record an open verdict. He said: “It only remains for me to say how terribly sorry I am that this has happened to you.”